Today is #WorldAIDSDay, a day when the world’s focus is on the fight against HIV/AIDS. There are already a number of medications on the market to help ease symptoms of HIV.According to the World Health Organization, since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began more than 30 years ago, over 70 million people have contracted HIV. No vaccine exists to […]

Pesticide use on commercially grown crops has increased dramatically even more than consumers have been led to believe. According to figures recently released by the Soil Association – the UK’s leading food and farming charity and organic certification body – show the number of chemicals on supermarket vegetables has increased up to 17 fold in the […] […]

Among the hundreds of emails and newsletters that come my way everyday, one quickly caught my attention. In it was an article that talked about companies that do animal testing, a topic I’ve been following for a while. Let me be blunt. I despise that companies do horrendously painful and inhumane testing on defenseless, innocent animals. And […]

Many of you know I was a long time resident of Northern California, a place of beauty and many natural wonders that still holds a special place in my heart. The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote that was recently published online about one of these remarkable public places and the trials and […]

Contrary to assurances by fish farming concerns, thousands of farmed Atlantic salmon have escaped into the Pacific Ocean. They escaped from a damaged net pen at a Cooke Aquaculture fish farm off Cypress Island in Washington’s Puget Sound on Saturday, This has sparked fears that the farm-raised fish could threaten wild Pacific salmon. According to the Washing […]

Target has had a preliminary injunction filed against its retail stores by the city of Los Angeles and California state prosecutors for allegedlydumping hazardous consumer products that were returned or damaged. If found guilty, the retail giant faces civil penalties.

Bamboo may be a sustainable resource, but it depends on how it’s processed. And it certainly can’t be considered eco-friendly if it’s really rayon.

The Federal Trade Commission recently sent letters to major retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Amazon and 74 other companies, warning them against rayon clothing and other products as bamboo.

“Failing to properly label and advertise textiles misleads consumers and runs afoul of both the Textile Rules and the FTC Act.”

Rayon can be made from any plant cellulose and is made with harsh chemicals. The companies will now be required to distinguish between these two materials.

Soft and fuzzy, but is it really rayon?

“Rayon is rayon, even if bamboo has been used somewhere along the line in the manufacturing process,” said David Vladeck, the FTC’s director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

According to Reuters, phone calls to WalMart, Amazon and Sears, which owns Kmart, weren’t immediately returned.

Fascinating to see what the big guys will try to get away with, especially when it comes to being on the green bandwagon.

It’s a case of the pot and the kettle really.

Monsanto – long famous for strong-arming farmers and deceptive advertising for their oh-so earth friendly GMO seeds – has accused their chief competitor in the seed business, DuPont, of covert attacks on Monsanto’s business practices.

The chairman of Monsanto, Hugh Grant (no, sorry, not the actor), has accused DuPont of using third parties to attack Monsanto, saying these activities “were misleading to the public and a serious breach of business ethics far beyond honest competitor behavior.” He also accused DuPont of being “dishonest, disingenuous and downright deceitful.”

Now didn’t his mama tell him if you can’t say something nice, ….?

This is but one more “skirmish” in the battle between the two corporate giants. In 2006 and 2007, DuPont tried to block Monsanto from buying Delta & Pine Land Co., the then largest cotton seed supplier in the U.S.

This past May, Monsanto filed a lawsuit against DuPont for patent infringement. DuPont countersued, accusing Monsanto of being anti-competitive.

Between falsifying documents, name calling and mud-slinging, watching these two beheamuths is like watching a decent “B” movie without the popcorn.